Wedding Night with My Vegetative Bride!

On the night of their wedding, as Su Li looked at Princess Changle, dressed in her crimson wedding attire lying on the bed, the joy in his heart gradually faded away.

Princess Changle was strikingly beautiful, being one of the essential heroines in Tang Dynasty literature. Even the most eloquent descriptions in novels could not compare to seeing her in person.

With her delicate makeup of light yellow and pink hues, wearing a radiant red dress, her eyes tightly shut, her face perhaps portrayed a hint of frailty, a side effect of her prolonged vegetative state.

"How long has the princess been in this condition?" Su Li inquired.

"It's been twenty-three days..." replied a lady-in-waiting nearby.

Despite the likelihood that Su Li might just be a prince consort meant to accompany her in death, the officer still responded with respect. Working as a lady-in-waiting in the palace demanded adherence to protocols. They wouldn't demean someone, like the scenes in novels where characters look down on others with contempt. Even if they disapproved of Su Li, they wouldn't make it difficult for him.

Gently holding Princess Changle's hand, Su Li noticed the lady-in-waiting nearby wanting to caution him but refrained upon seeing no further moves from him.

Given the current condition of Princess Changle, consummating their marriage was naturally out of the question. The reason ladies-in-waiting were present in the princess's mansion was precisely because of her state. After all, even for daily bathing and dressing, the princess needed assistance. Their role was to take care of her and also to ensure that Su Li, chosen to be the prince consort for ritual purposes, didn't act inappropriately.

As expected, as soon as Su Li held Princess Changle's hand, the points in his system, which had a balance of zero, began to increase.

Approximately every three seconds, the points increased by a bit...

However, Su Li wasn't concerned about the points at the moment. He was seriously assessing his newly-wedded wife, Princess Changle.

"In a deep sleep and never waking up... Steady breathing, able to swallow..." Su Li rubbed his temples.

"Can she open her eyes?" Su Li asked again.

"The princess is able to open her eyes during the day, but no matter what is said, she can't hear or react," the lady-in-waiting responded.

"If she can open her eyes, swallow, has a regular routine, and breathes steadily, then she is undoubtedly in a vegetative state," Su Li softly contemplated.

Ancient times lacked knowledge about vegetative states, often mistaking them for 'soul-loss syndrome'. After all, a person who can open their eyes, eat, but cannot move or speak seems like someone who's lost their soul.

But in modern medicine, these are the clear symptoms of a vegetative state.

There's a stark difference between being in a vegetative state and being in a coma. For instance, those in a coma don't have regular routines, can't swallow on their own, and often experience muscle spasms and respiratory issues.

It's worth noting that a coma is more severe than a vegetative state. Severe coma usually signifies impending death.

Most people in a vegetative state initially fell into a coma after severe trauma. Later, after the body's self-regulation and treatment, the brain stabilizes, transitioning into a vegetative state.

In other words, if Princess Changle had been in a coma for more than twenty days, given the medical technology of this era, she would've likely not survived, and even feeding her would have been impossible.

A flash of regret crossed Su Li's face...

In his previous life, people had two understandings of vegetative states. Some believed those in such a state were in a complete end-of-consciousness state, completely unresponsive to the external environment. Others believed they could sense certain external factors, like pain, temperature, or sound...

Su Li leaned more towards the latter belief, that those in a vegetative state had some cognitive ability.

But for the 22-year-old Princess Changle, this was a cruel reality.

Trapped in endless darkness, occasionally able to hear, feel, and think, it's as if she's imprisoned. Completely immobile...

Cruelly, they might even feel their own excretions...

It's like a normal person being trapped in a dark room, feeling their own waste covering their body, helpless and unaware of who's cleaning them up - whether it's a stranger or not.

A vegetative person... can't do anything.

In his previous life, Su Li had heard of a case where a person in a vegetative state was believed to be brain-dead. Yet, in an accidental experiment, the research team discovered he still had subjective consciousness. His first signal after being connected to special equipment was...

"Kill me!"

Indeed, the existence of subjective consciousness in a vegetative person is terrifying.

To anyone, it's a fate worse than death.

Most people, after struggling, choose to shut down their consciousness, eventually becoming truly brain-dead.

And Princess Changle, a 22-year-old girl, faced this cruel reality.

Even if Su Li was typically indifferent, thinking of someone, his own happiness, and his achievements built after Princess Changle became vegetative,

How could he still smile so heartlessly?

Su Li knew that those in the initial stages of a vegetative state can often perceive their surroundings and even hear sounds.

Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly smelled an unpleasant odor.

"Sir, please step back," the lady-in-waiting responsibly asked Su Li to move away.